Process of making automobile-door panels



H. J. HAON.

PROCESS OF MAKING AUTOMOBILE DOOR PANELS.

APPLICATION FILEDv MAY l. 1919.

Patented DOO.` 27, 1921.

UNET@ .HARRY J'. HAON, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS 8a COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PROCESS OF MAKING AUTOMOBILE-DOOR PANELS.

Application led May 1,

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. HAoN, a citi- -`zenof the United States, residing at Newburgli, in' the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of vMaking Automobile-Door Panels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to a process by means of which sheet products may be made which are especially applicable for use as door panels, as for example those used upon the inner faces of automobile doors.

The object of my invention is to provide a process by means of which composite sheets of material, laminated or embossed articles, may be advantageously manufactured, with or without apertures, and especially by means of which panels suitable for application to automobile doors may be made. M object is to avoid any disadvantages whic would be present if such panels were manuvet factured as follows:

A sheet of cardboard was cut out the shape of the door to which the panel is to be applied, a hole being` left for the tool pocket in the center of the door, and a hole being made therein to receive the latch mounted upon the door for fastening the latter. Upon this there was pasted by hand an embossed piece of leather or artificial leather -an inch larger around the edges than the cardboard blank. This layer of leather oiI artificial leather was then pasted to the cardboard blank by hand, pressure being applied by means of a roller or scraper to remove blisters. Thereafter, the edges of the leather or articial leather were turned over the edges of the cardboard and pasted down thereon. This resulted obviously in the par tial removal of the embossing, and brought about a lack of uniformity which was undesirable. After this, the panel was secured to the inner face of the door by applying a strip of gimp around the edge thereof, and drivin tacks through the gimp and panel into t e wooden frame of the door. The door flap to cover the tool pocket in the door was constructed in the same manner and applied to the upper edge of the pocket opening in substantially the same Way, a layer of paint or enamel being applied to the inner face of said fiap to give it an attractive Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27., 192i.

1919. Serial No. 294,024.

purpose of illustration I shall describe only v one way of carrying out the same herein, and have described only one type of apparatus used in connection therewith in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an apparatus which may be used for carrying out my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of an inner face of an automobile touring body, and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation partly in section showing an automobile door equipped with a panel made in accordance with my invention.

In the drawings, I have shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 an arrangement of an apparatus which may be used in carrying out my invention. This comprises a roll of artificial leather l which may be, if desired, of a thin type of said material, carried upon a spindle 2 from which the artificial leather passes over a roll 3 with the finished surface of the artificial leather located on the inner side thereof. From this point the artificial leather 1 passes by a doctor blade 4 in advance of which an adhesive material, as for example a composition made as follows:

A water paste composed of flour, starch or glue, of a pyroxylin or a rubber solution, is applied to the artificial leather. Beyond this point there are applied in succession to the artificial leather, plates or sheets of cardboard 5 which may be of a material heavier and stiffer than is marketed in roll form, and which need not have the shape of any par ticular automobile door to which the finished panels are to be applied. yFrom this point the artificial leather carrying the plates` of cardboard 5 preferably passes into a drying chamber 6 heated by means suchas a steam coil 7, said drying chamber 6 being for the purpose merely of partially drying the adhesive composition. The artificial leather- 1 carrying the cardboard plates 5 preferably passes thence between a pair of calender rolls 8.and 9 driven b any suitable source of power, and subjecte to any desired pressure, so as to completely anchor the cardboard plates on the artificial leather. Tirom this point the web of material passes through a cutting apparatus of any desiredtype 1ndicated at 10 and 11, so las to sever the articial leather into portions, which may be referred to as blanks, and which are ordinarily of substantially the same size and shape as the plates of cardboard 5. Thereupon the blanks or sheets of combined cardboard and artificial leather are ordinarily allowed to stand for a number of hours until they are completely dried. Then any desired embossing may be applied to the same by 1ntroducing these sheets into an embosslng press of any desired character which will simultaneously heat and emboss said sheets. Tn this way, as soon as the sheets have cooled they will have acquired a ermanent embossin which is not ordinari y in any way modified or obliterated in the process of manufacture. Tn the present excmplification of my method, these sheets are now cut out into the shapes desired in order to conform the same to the shapes of the doors to which they are to be applied, and so as to form panels 12 for this purpose, holes 14 and 15 being optionally punched in said panels for the tool pocket and a latch fastening 16 at the same time. These panels 12 are' ordinarily thereupon provided with a binding around the edges thereof and this binding may consist of a strip of artificial leather 17 of the same character as was applied to the cardboard plates,I said strip 17 being preferably secured to the panel by means such as sewing. Thereupon, T may form a door flap 18, which is ordinarily produced in the same manner as one of the panels 12, except that on the inner face of said door panel T may apply in a similar manner a layer of a dyed covering fabric 19, as for example sheeting or drill, or instead T may use, to finish this surface, merely a coating of an asphalt paint. This door flap 18 may be secured to the panel 12 by sewing or in any other desired manner. A completed panel may be applied to the inner face of an automobile door, by inserting upholstery tacks 20, so as to cause the same to be received in a wooden frame 21 of the door which ma have on the outside face thereof, a metal acing 22. The edge of the door frame 21 may, if desired, be covered with a strip of material 23 similar to the artificial leather 1 in order to provide the desired finish.

By making the door panels in this manner, an entirely permanent embossing is obtained, a thinner and less expensive finishing Leonesa material can be used, and there is a` saving of labor at many different points 1n the process, as for example in the mechanical pasting, the single cutting operation for both layers of material to fit the door, and in the finishing of the edge of the panel in one operation.

The door panel produced by the process of this invention has been clalmed in applicants co-pending case Serial No. 294,023, filed May 1, 1919.

While T have described my invention above in detail, T wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims: i

1. The process of making laminated products suitable for use as blanks for door panels which comprises applying a succession of separate plates of stiff light material to an advancing', coated web of flexible material, applying heat to partially dry, and thereafter cutting out the web between the plates.

2. The process of making laminated products suitable for use as blanks for door panels which comprises applying a succession of separate plates of stiff light material to an advancing, coated web of artificial leather, separately applying pressure to anchor said plates cutting out the web between the plates.

3. The process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of sepa-rate plates of stiff light material to an advancing web of flexible material, then cutting out the web between the plates, and afterward cutting out and preparing from the resultant blank a door panel of the desired shape. l

4. The process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of separate plates of stiffl light material to an advancing web of flexible material, then cutting out the web between the plates, cutting out and preparing from the resultant blank a door panel of the desired shape, and binding the edge of the panel.

5. The process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of separate plates of stili light material to an advancing web of artificial leather, embossing and then cutting out the web between the plates, cutting out therefrom a door panel of the desired shape, and binding the edge of the panel.

6. l1he process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of plates of stiff light material to a web of flexible material, then cutting out the web between the plates, cutting out therefrom a door panel of the desired shape, and applying thereto a tool pocket flap constructed in the same manner.

7. The process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of separate plates of stiff light material to an thus formed.

8. lhe process of making door panels which comprises securing a succession of separate plates of stili' light material to an advancing web of flexible material, then cutting out the web between the plates. and thereafter embossing the laminated product thus formed by the application of heat and pressure.

9. The process which comprises coating the back of an advancing web of artificial leather with an adhesive, applying sheets of cardboard to said web, partially drying the adhesive, anchoring the cardboard, cutting the desired blanks from the composite product so obtained, embossing and cutting to a desired shape.

10. The process which comprises coating the back of an advancing web of .artificial leather with an adhesive, applying sheets of cardboard to said web, partially drying the adhesive, anchorin the cardboard to the web by passing it 1n partially dried 4condition between a pair of calender rolls, cutting the desired blanks from the composite product so obtained, embossing with the aid of heat and pressure, and cutting to a desired'shape comprising any desired apertures.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing,

l have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of April, 1919.

HARRY J. HAON. 

